Need a new streaming device for TV - Roku appears to be on life support

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Need a new streaming device for TV - Roku appears to be on life support

I was given a Roku 1 as a friend upgraded to a smart TV. Mine are all still dumb. So I've been using this Roku for a little over 2 years with good success. But then, a purple screen of what I can only image is death! Did this to us a week ago, but snapped out of it. Then again last night and there was no revival this time. I unplugged the unit overnight and tried it again today. Got 10 minutes into a Dukes of Hazzard episode before the purple screen'd and then restarted on it's own. "Programmed Obsolesce" is what I call it!

Anywho, we primarily watch Netflix, Amazon Prime video, and Youtube. So looking for a device that does those things to replace my Roku.

I've used an Amazon Fire Stick for the past couple of years without any significant issues. I have 3 of them now, and the oldest one is needing to be replaced as it is slow to load, otherwise it does everything you are wanting to do as that is what we use it for- Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Pandora, etc.

I found a Blue Ray player at Best Buy with WiFi connectivity. The salesman was actually REALLY helpful in figuring out what I needed. I linked it to my router, it has Netflix, Amazon Prime, youtube, Pandora- and also a bunch of other Apps I never use. I think it was $60.

It is a little slow and not nearly as effective as the xbox360, but small (I hide it behind the TV) and seems to work very well. It is "less" clumsy than my daughter's Roku, but not ideal in my opinion.

BUT- it is just as effective as my Mom's smart TV- so I'll keep my dumb tv for a while and deal with the clumsy DVD player.

We have that exact thing down stairs. A Sony Brand. And while it works, I find myself having to reset it as well. The few times we use it, it is primarily to stream and it is clear that this was not it's main function. It has played discs like a champ everytime tho. But I did buy that specific model so that I could stream and play discs. What brand is yours?

However, we don't have the ability to play discs upstairs and there may be a benefit to that. Hmmm...

Meanwhile, reading thru some threads fetched by google, it seems it could also have something to do with my TV not "handshaking" the Roku as an input. It's like the OG trying to fist-bump or something?? So I unplugged the TV for a few minutes and will have to see if that has helped. Next step is trying a different HDMI, but how can a setup like this work for 2 years, then suddenly fail for no reason?

yeah- you are about 40 levels above my technical level there. Somewhere through that third paragraph, I would have probably been "hand shaking" the Roku as far as I could throw it.

I think ours is a Sony- but I am not sure. Our only problems have been that every so often we have to re-convince YouTube to play videos- which requires 14 sign in things, and checking your account on your mobile device- blah blah. If Youtube were a physical thing I would have beat the ever-living out of it. I just wanted to watch 1320 coverage of Drag Week!!!

If/when the DVD gives up, I'll probably hit craigslist for a used xbox. My kiddo has one now- and it is way smoother on all fronts.

What type of phone/tablet do you use? We have all Android and love our Chromecasts. The Amazon Prime stuff won't work with them, but the Fire Sticks work pretty well too. We got one of those just to watch The Grand Tour.

We are a mixed family. I'm all android and she's apple. But lets be real, I control the electronics so it'd be better to be android.

Last night TV had no interruptions so perhaps I am ok here. I know the TV hadn't been down since the last power outage, so maybe it needed that. Maybe I can put off buying a new streaming device for a little while more.

If you are looking to upgrade, I have an amazon fire cube. You said amazon prime video so I'm going to recommend the cube. I like being able to tell Alexa to turn the tv on. I'd look for it to be on sale black Friday/cyber Monday.

I'll look into the cube. We have two "Alexa" devices in our house, so I suppose it would fit well.

But so far, no issues. I did notice that when I turn on my Roku, the TV automatically turns on. But for the past few weeks it wasn't doing that. Perhaps the TV not turning on is a sign that it is not speaking to the Roku properly and it's time for a reset...

I'll look into the cube. We have two "Alexa" devices in our house, so I suppose it would fit well.

But so far, no issues. I did notice that when I turn on my Roku, the TV automatically turns on. But for the past few weeks it wasn't doing that. Perhaps the TV not turning on is a sign that it is not speaking to the Roku properly and it's time for a reset...

You missed the Cube on the Amazon Treasure Truck yesterday for a decent price.

"Blow and Hookers can change the World. - Gags

Originally Posted by scottycards

MJ has no lethal dose. You might crawl under your couch and eat M&M's all day if you get too high, but it ain't gonna kill you.

Treasure truck? Wha? Geesh, I feel like my head is in the sand sometimes!

Nothing is wrong with another Roku really. I just wanted to see what else might be available.

It's an Amazon thing, they bring a decked out truck to a spot (brewery, restaurant, stadium, etc...) and sell 1 item via the website or app, you then pick the location/time that works for you that day and go get your stuff. They usually have music playing, some games set up, etc...the deals can be pretty good if the timing works for you.

Innertubes fine.
What is your definition of cheap? Do you want live TV too or just reruns?

I guess the cheap part is relative to what i am getting. I would prefer live i guess but reruns would also be ok. I would also prefer it to be a month to month think because i will most likely one use it for a few months of the year since i rarely even turn the tv on during summertime and have an OTA antenna that does a decent job for local channels.

I have the free trial of netflix right now and although there might be a few movies i might watch, i doubt it just because i seldom have 2 hour that i want to kill watching tv and the tv shows that they offer are for the most part nothing i care to watch.

Tv shows that i enjoy are mostly stuff that is shown on velocity and history channels.

Netflix is tailored towards movies, but they have come a long way in offering series' as well. So use the search and see if you can find what you want while you have your trial.

We are Amazon Prime members, so we use that too. Between the two, it seems we can find something to watch fairly easily. But I will admit, neither really offer an cool series' yet for off roading and stuff. There seems to be a fair amount of hunting stuff tho.